Dental treatment assemblies

ABSTRACT

A dental treatment assembly comprises a patient&#39;&#39;s chair and a dental treatment unit supported by the chair which is mounted on a base for adjustment in a generally vertical direction relatively to the base. The dental treatment unit includes a housing connected to the chair for movement lengthwise of the chair, a rigid dental hand appliance support arm pivotably connected to the housing and releasable locking means for locking the treatment unit to the chair.

United States Patent [151 3,653,125 Heubeck [451 Apr. 4, 1972 [54]DENTAL TREATMENT ASSEMBLIES [56] References Cited [72] Inventor: ErichHeubeck, Erlangen, Germany UNITED STATES PATENTS [73] Assignee: SiemensAktiengesellschaft, Erlangen, Ger- 3,311,411 3/1967 Page et al ..32/22 Xmany - Primary Examiner-Robert Peshock 2 F l d. 20, 96 [2 1 l e Oct 1 9Attorney-Richards & Genet 211 App]. No; 867,513

[57] I ABSTRACT Foreign Application Priority Data A dental treatmentassembly comprises a patient's chair and a Oct 26 1968 Germany P 18 05514 6 dental treatment unit supported by the chair which is mounted on abase for adjustment in a generally vertical direction rela- 52 us. Cl 3222 base- The dental includes a [51] Int. :..:.:A6 1c l9/02 ing connectedto the chair for movement lengthwise of the 58 Field of Search ..32/22;297/68 chain a rigid dental hand appliance s"PPM Pivmably connected tothe housing and releasable locking means for locking the treatment unitto the chair.

2 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPR 4 I972 SHEET 1 [1F 2 I NV E NTOR: E./1eubec/ ATTO KNBAS PATENTEDAPR 4:972 3,653,125

SHEET 2 0F 2 INVENTOR:

5 Heubeck "Mm gm AT'IQILNESS DENTAL TREATMENT ASSEMBLIES BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION l. Field of the Invention This invention relates to adental treatment assembly comprising a patients chair and a dentaltreatment unit supported by the chair which is mounted on a base foradjustment in a generally vertical direction relatively to the base.

2. Description of the Prior Art In dental treatment assemblies of thiskind it is known to mount a horizontal support, which extends parallelto the longitudinal axis of the chair, at one of its ends on thevertically adjustable base part of the chair. On the free end of thehorizontal support situated approximately in the region of the forwardseat edge of the chair, a tubular upright is mounted near its end whichbears resiliently on the floor through the agency of an extensible part,the dental unit being mounted on the upright to be rotatable about theupright by means of clips. The head of the dental unit is adapted to beinclined about a horizontal axis, and from one side surface of theinclinable head there can be pulled out a jib-like telescopic arm ofrelatively small cross-section which at its free end carries a housingunit for dental hand appliances for syringing and drilling. Theextensible conduits to the hand appliances and the like are disposedbetween the dental unit head and the hand appliance housing in the openand, as long as the hand appliances are in their housings, are slightlytensioned by a winding device for the flexible conduits which isarranged in the dental unit. Owing to this construction, the dental unitwith the telescopic arm can be pivoted about the tubular upright tube,the housing unit for the hand appliances describing, in a plane situatedabove the patient, an arc the radius of which is adapted to be varied bythe variously selectable lengths to which the telescopic arm can bepulled out. Also, the height of the pivoting plane above the patient canbe varied by different inclinations of the dental unit head.

The invention proceeds from the fact that a dental unit of the typedescribed hereinbefore is disadvantageous. On the one hand therelatively weak telescopic arm must be extensible over a considerablelength in order to enable the hand appliance housing unit to be broughtinto the dentist's reach when the patient is lying down during treatmentand the dentist is standing behind the patients head. Telescopic arms ofthis kind which can be pulled out to a considerable length, if they areto support a relatively considerable load at their free end such as thesaid housing unit represents, must be of very precise construction inorder to be adequately stable even in the fully extended state.Therefore, they are relatively expensive. On the other hand, theflexible conduits must be extensible over a considerable length, so thatat full extension, i.e., when they are relieved of tension by locking,they can sag over their entire length between the dental unit head andthe hand appliance housing unit, and also between the housing and thehand appliance, and permit tension-free manipulation of the handappliance. This considerable extension length of the flexible conduitsis per se disadvantageous and also requires a relatively complicatedwinding device for the flexible conduits in the dental unit. Also theflexible conduits hanging down over their entire length between thedental unit head and the hand appliance are a nuisance to the patientand also get in the way of the work performed by a dental nurse.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a dentaltreatment assembly in which the aforesaid disadvantages are minimized oreliminated.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention there isprovided a dental treatment assembly comprising a patients chair and adental treatment unit supported by the chair which is mounted on a basefor adjustment in a generally vertical direction relatively to the base,the treatment unit including;

a. a housing connected to the chair for movement lengthwise of thechair,

b. a rigid support ann connected at one end to the housing for pivotalarcuate movement in a substantially horizontal plane relatively to thehousing,

c. dental hand appliances carried by the other end of the 5 support armand connected to respective extendible supply conduits which areenclosed by the support arm, and

d. releasable locking means mounted on the housing for locking thetreatment unit to the chair.

With such a construction the support arm can then have a largercross-section and can be relatively short, i.e., very stable, andsurround all the supply conduits to the hand appliances. In particular,to support the dental unit on the patients chair there can be providedan elongate support member in the form of a guide rail which extendsparallel to the longitudinal axis of the patients chair and along whichthe dental unit is guided to be displaceable and lockable in desiredpositions.

Because of the invention, the flexible conduits leading to the handappliances do not require as great an extension length as in the knowndental units, and the said flexible conduits when fully extended are nolonger exposed in the open over their entire length between dental unitand hand appliance, but during treatment need only be pulled out as faras is necessary for free manipulation with the hand appliances.Adaptation of the position of the hand appliance housing unit to theparticular position of the dentist can be effected by displacement ofthe dental unit in the longitudinal direction of the patients chair, forwhich purpose advantageously there can be used a handle arranged on thefree end of the jib, which, when manipulated, automatically releases abrake which secures the position of the dental unit. This adjustinghandle is conveniently so constructed that when pulled and pressedagainst in opposition to spring force it can be brought from a positionof rest into one of two end positions in which it operates an electricalswitch which then releases an electromagnetic brake which until then hassecured the position of the dental unit. Thus, by simply gripping thehandle in the sense of drawing the dental unit forwards or pushing itback, the locking effect on the dental unit is discontinued and, afterthe handle is released, the locking effect is automaticallyreestablished.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. 1, l designates thepatients chair which consists of a head part 2, a back rest 3, a seatpart 4, a foot part 5, a base 6 supported on the floor, a verticallyadjustable base part 7 which is connected to the seat part 4, and aparallelogram arm 8 connecting the two parts 6 and 7 to one another. Thedotdash line 9 represents the longitudinal axis of the patients chair.

The dental treatment unit includes an upright and elongate housing 10which is disposed to one side, i.e., the left-hand side of the patientschair 1 with its longitudinal extent parallel to the longitudinal axis 9of the patients chair 1. On the upper surface 11 of the housing 10, arigid support arm 12 is connected at one end for pivotal arcuatemovement in a substantially horizontal plane about a substantiallyvertical axis 15 near the narrow end 13 adjoining the foot part 5 of thepatient's chair 1, through the agency of a support casing 14 The arm 12is also connected to the casing 14 for upward and downward pivotalmovement about a horizontal axis in the form of a substantiallyhorizontal pin 16. Dental hand appliances are carried by the other freeend of the arm 12, housing 17 and 18 for a turbine-type handpiece l9 anda micrometor handpiece 20 being inset into the end face 21 of the arm12, and a dental syringe appliance 22 rests in a housing 23 fixed on theupper surface of the arm 12. Below the hand appliances 19, 20, 22 adental instrument tray 24 is supported in a manner to be described. Astirrup-shaped handle member 25 is also mounted on the free end of thearm 12 between the syringe 22 and the handpieces 19, 20.

That part of the upper surface 1 1 of the housing 10 which is adjacentthe head part 2 of the patient's chair 1, i.e., nearer the base 6 isconstructed as a spittoon unit and comprises at the upper surface 11 aremovable spittoon bowl 26, a mouth rinsing tumbler 27 and a fillingdevice 28 for the said tumbler. At the narrow end 29 of the dental unit10 there are also arranged operating pushbuttons 30 (for filling thetumbler, operating the syringe and the like) and below these operatingpushbuttons 30 a strong-action suction hand appliance 31 and a salivaextractor appliance 32 are arranged removably in respective supports ina housing 33.

As shown in FIG. 2 an elongate support member in the form of asubstantially horizontal guide rail 34 which extends parallel to thelongitudinal axis 9 of the patients chair 1 is mounted on the verticallyadjustable base part 7. A carriage 35 supporting the dental unit issupported to be displaceable lengthwise of the chair (arrow 37) by meansof bearings in the form of rollers 36 (for the sake of simplicity onlyone roller is illustrated) and to be lockable by means of a releasablelocking device constituted by an electromagnetic brake 38. FIG. 2 alsoshows the way in which the tray 24, situated below the hand appliancesI9, 20 and 22 is supported. The: tray 24 is supported by acounterbalanced arm assembly 39 including a parallelogram linkage whichis situated below the arm 12 and which at one of its ends is mounted forpivotal movement about two substantially horizontal pivots 40 and 41which are disposed one above the other. The axes corresponding to thesepivots 40 and 41 at the tray-side end of the parallelogram arm 39 aredesignated as 42 and 43. For substantially horizontal pivoting of thetray 24 towards and away from the housing 10 there is also arrangedbetween the tray-side end of the arm 39 and the tray itself asubstantially horizontal pivot ing arm 44. Arranged at the underside ofthe arm 12 is a recess 45 in which the parallelogram arm 39 can behoused over its entire length. In this niche 45 the arm 39 can beconnected up to the arm 12 by means of press stud means comprising thestud part 46 which is fixed to the arm 39 and with which there isassociated a corresponding counter-part 47 within the recess 45.

FIG. 3 shows the free end of the arm 12 on a larger scale. The handlemember 25 which is angled and stirrup-shaped is mounted on the arm 12 tobe rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis 48. The front portionof the handle 25 is disposed between the group of handpieces 19, 20resting in their housings, on the one hand and the syringe 22 on theother hand. The syringe has been pulled out of its housing and only theextensible supply conduit 49 leading to the syringe 22 is illustrated.The extensible conduit 49 slides over the handle member 25 and thereforecannot collide with the handpieces situated below. The handle member 25also serves as a means for protecting the dentist's hand from injury onthe handpieces 19, 20 situated below the handle when he grasps thesyringe 22 which is mounted above the handle 25. Fixed on a prolongation50 of the handle 25 which goes beyond the horizontal axis 48 is a pin 51which projects through an aperture 52 into the interior of the hollowarm 12. Near the pin 51, two doublearm levers 53 and 54 are mounted tobe rotatable about pins 55 and 56 which are situated parallel to theaxis of rotation 48. The free end of the lever 53 which is nearest tothe pin 51 lies directly on the pin 51 and the corresponding free end ofthe lever 54 lies directly below the pin. The end of the lever 53 remotefrom the pin 51 abuts on a key 55 of a switch 56, the

said key being adapted to be operated in a downward direction and beingsubjected to spring pressure, and the corresponding free end of thelever 54 abuts on a key 57, of a further switch 58, which is to beoperated upwardly and is also subjected to spring pressure. Actuation ofthe two switches 56 and 58 in each case causes the closing, through theagency of connecting leads 59 and 60, of the circuit with which theelectromagnetic brake 38 is released which secures the dental unit 10 onthe rail 34 (FIG. 2).

When a person presses against the handle member 25 (to shift the dentalunit rearwards) the handle member 25 rotates about the axis 48 and theprolongation 50 moves downwards. As a result, the lever 54 is so rotatedabout its axis 56 that the end of the lever 54 abutting on the key 57 ofthe switch 58 is moved upwards and the switch 58 is operated. As aresult, the electromagnetic brake engaging the rail 34 is released andthe dental unit moves to the rear. When the handle 25 is pulled (toshift the dental unit forwards) the prolongation 50 of the handle 25moves upwards and the corresponding actuation of the switch 56 takesplace, thus also releasing the electromagnetic brake.

Instead of the two switches 56 and 58, which are closed in the two endpositions of the handle 25, it is also possible to provide only a singleswitch which is closed in the central position of the handle 25 and isopened in the two end positions. The electromagnetic brake 38 must thenbe so constructed that it is released by the opening of this singleswitch.

I claim:

1. A dental treatment assembly, comprising a patients chair, and adental treatment unit comprising a housing, an elongated support memberconnected to one side of the chair and extending lengthwise of thechair, bearing means connected with said support member and carryingsaid housing while permitting relative movement of said housinglengthwise of the chair a rigid support arm having one end connected tosaid housing for pivotal arcuate movement about a substantially verticalaxis relatively to the housing, supply conduits enclosed by said supportarm, dental hand appliances carried by the other end of said support armand connected to said supply conduits, a handle member connected to saidother end of the support am for pivotal upward and downward movementrelatively thereto, electric switch means mounted in said support armand actuated by said handle, and releasable locking means for lockingthe treatment unit to the chair and comprising an electro-magnetic brakeengaging said support member and connected with said electric switchmeans.

2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the support arm isconnected to the housing for pivotal upward and downward movementrelatively to the housing.

1. A dental treatment assembly, comprising a patient''s chair, and adental treatment unit comprising a housing, an elongated support memberconnected to one side of the chair and extending lengthwise of thechair, bearing means connected with said support member and carryingsaid housing while permitting relative movement of said housinglengthwise of the chair a rigid support arm having one end connected tosaid housing for pivotal arcuate movement about a substantially verticalaxis relatively to the housing, supply conduits enclosed by said supportarm, dental hand appliances carried by the other end of said support armand connected to said supply conduits, a handle member connected to saidother end of the support arm for pivotal upward and downward movementrelatively thereto, electric switch means mounted in said support armand actuated by said handle, and releasable locking means for lockingthe treatment unit to the chair and comprising an electro-magnetic brakeengaging said support member and connected with said electric switchmeans.
 2. An assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein the support armis connected to the housing for pivotal upward and downward movementrelatively to the housing.